Safety Commission to meet in February over via ferrata issue

The UIAA Safety Commission will meet during ISPO Munich on 6 February 2013 to review and discuss a worldwide warning to users of via ferrata sets that was put out in September.

The warning followed worldwide a fatal accident on 5 August 2012 on a via ferrata in the vicinity of Walchsee in Tirol, Austria where a climber fell several meters and both lanyards on the energy-absorbing devices (EAS), also known as klettersteig sets, broke.

The manufacturer of the set carried out an investigation after the accident. The probe found that that the lanyard’s strength was dramatically affected after intensive use not only because of its specific construction but also due to the material used.

UIAA Safety Commission members met in September before the warning was issued and the 6 February meeting is a follow up.

The draft agenda for the meeting includes discussions:

Risks due to Ageing of ‘rope braking system

Fatigue or Ageing of static tape used in Via Ferrata Sets

specific risks of rental business

Please visit the website of manufacturers for more details and updates.

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Founded in 1932, the UIAA is the international federation for climbing and mountaineering. The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) was founded in 1932 and has a global presence on six continents representing 89 member associations and federations in 66 countries. The UIAA has been recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 1995.